Feed-water heater



Jam.A 16, 1940. B. R. MCBATH FEED-WATER HEATER Filed Feb. 24, 1939 @(06.0(00 Q @(04616 Oa., 50% Q 6%@ i I ,l -IIIWNHWMMMMMWMNIMIIWWMWHIM IMIIMHI, M

y Patented Jan. 16, 1940 ,2,187,044 FED=WATER HEATER l Bartley R.` McBath, Verra, N. J.,A assigner to Worthington Pump `and Machinery Corporation, Harrison, N. J., Ware a corporation of Dela- Applicauon February 24, i939, serial No. 258,134l i 3, Clailns.

This invention *relates lto feed-water heaters, "and moreparti'c'ularly to a scondaryieeil-Water -lieater Aof the vapor and water Contact type wherein the incoming Water toaboiler is sprayed through-thelsteam mass in-the upper portion of ilth'e boiler forfheating the Water'to steam tem- Lperature, thereby heating the incoming'water to the temperature of the Water in the boiler; thus g 'pievntinginiury to theboiler from uneventemperatur'e strains.

yAn object of the presentlinventio'n is toprovide lia secondary ieed-Water heater ofthe type re- Ef'er'red to Iv'vhich embodies means toprotect the saturated-:steam pipe in the boiler lfrom the incoming watermeans for deaer'ati'ng the incomling Water, and means 4whereby-the steam uti- `iiized for carrying ff the released gases is employed for useiul'Wok s'uoh :as operating the pump Whiehfsupplies the vcold Water to the sys- `Atem.

With these vand other objects in view, as 'may appear from the-accompanying specication, the invention consists lof various features of construction and combination of parts, which will be -iirst described 'in connection with theaccompanying drawing, Which shows a secondary feed- Water heater constructed in accordance with this invention, partly in section and showing the cooperating units or elements diagrammatically, and the features forming the invention Will be specifically pointed out in the claims.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I indicates a steam boiler of locomotive or any approved type having the lues or tubes 2 therein through which the hot gases pass for heating the water indicated at 3, in the boiler.

The Water is delivered-to the boiler at some point along its length at its top or upper-most portion, either by means of an injector or :from a regular feed-water heater or from both, and the present invention maintains this same arrangement oi entry of the water into the boiler but it provides means and a construction for heating the incoming water substantially to the temperature ofthe steam.

In the present invention the boiler is illustrated as provided `with deliveries of Water both from an injector 5 of any approved construction and from a feed-water heater S, also, of any approved construction. These delivery structures 5 and 6 deliver the water to the check valve structure '1. In the drawing the check valve structure 'i coml prises the valve B, which is positioned in the line 2G from the injector, and the valve S, which is positionedin the line l from the feed-Water iheater. The'-water from the inieetorf "and feedwater heater passes throughth'e respective valves 8 and 9 into chambers il, vvhich merge ft2 into the boiler L `A sprayh'ead M is positioned at the outletoffthe delivery'pip'e I2 -to the boiler, and this spray head breaks up the incoming Water into thin or small streams.

*and deliver the water thrdugh the*-'delivery'pipefuhr A shroud ll is attachedto the inner surface of vthe Shell 4 f the boiler i at the-top theref and surroundsnthe spray member M, serving the dual purpose oi protecting the saturated-steam pipe I6, which leads the steam from thestearn 'dome to the super-heater (both'not shown) and of directing the Water into the boiler.' The lshroud |-5 has its inner or lower end shaped to form a substantially concave protecting portion l1 for the pipe i6, and this endl,- togethr with the main ybody of the shroud i5, directs the incoming streams of Water in a cone-like spray into the biler; Theiinner end of the shroud loutwardly of the closed portion I? is'ep'ennot only to let the Water into the boilerbut also Ito letfsteam from the upper part of the boiler pass into the shroud for the purpose of heating the fine streams of Water, bring it up to the temperature of the steam, thus avoiding any strains or injury to the boiler because of uneventemperature strains and also raising the temperature of the Water so that it may be more easily and readily converted into steam. The. sides of the shroud l5 are also provided with openings i8 near the top oi the shroud to permit steam from the top portion oi the boiler to enter the shroud up- Wardly of the water outlets and countercurrent .or crosscurrent to the direction of travel of the yWater for further facilitating the heating of the water, and also to permit deaeration of the incoming Water. The gases released from the incoming Water through the deaeration action, together with a certain amount of steam or vapor pass intothe chamber 2l] at the top ofthe shroud i5 or at the top of the secondary heater. The chamber 2li is formed by a partition 2|. A vent or outlet pipe 22 opens into the top of the chamber 20 and serves to carry off the released gases and the steam which pass `out of the secondary heater with such released gases.

The present invention embodies the utilization of this steam, resulting in economy of steam and consequent fuel savings.` The steam which passes through the vent pipe 22 may be led to the cold Waterpump 23 of the feed-Water' heater 6 for operating this piunp, or any other steam operated accessory of the locomotive.

The cold water from the tender (not shown) is picked up by the cold water pump 24 and passes through the feed-water heater 6, and is pumped by the hot Water pump 23 through the boiler check valve 9, and the secondary feed-water heater structure, into the boiler, or if the injector 5 is used, incoming water is pumped from the tender (not shown) through the inlet 25 of the injector 5 and outwardly through the pipe 26 to the boiler check valve 8 and thence through the secondary heater into the boiler.

While in the drawing and the above description the steam which passes through the vent pipe 22 is used to operate either of the pumps 23 or 25, it is to be understood that it may be used to operate any steam operated accessories of the boiler or locomotive such as the head light turbine, etc.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction or arrangement of parts shown, but that they may be widely modied within the invention dened by the claims.

What is claimed is:`

1. In a feed-water heater, the combination with a boiler having a saturated-steam pipe therein, of an inlet for water at the top of said boiler, a shroud within the boiler for receiving incoming water from said inlet and having its inner end open to receive steam from the boiler Aand permit passage of water into the boiler, and

means at said inlet to spray the incoming water through said shroud and directly into the boiler in small, thin uninterrupted streams, the passage of steam in said shroud being countercurrent to the passage of water therein, said shroud having an outlet therein for the outlet of a limited amount of steam together with the gases released .from solution by the deaerating effect of the counter-flowing steam, said shroud shaped to form a protecting cover for a part of said saturated-steam pipe to prevent contact of incoming water with the pipe.

2. In a feed-water heater, the combination with a boiler, of an inlet for water at the top of the boiler, a shroud within the boiler for receiving incoming water from said inlet and having its inner end open to receive steam from the boiler and permit passage of water into the boiler, and means at said inlet to spray the incoming water through said shroud and `directly into the boiler for contact with the surface of the water in the boiler in small, thin broken-up streams, the passage of steam in said shroud being opposed to the passage of water therein, said shroud having an outlet therein at its highest point for the outlet of a limited amount of steam together with the gases released from solution by the deaeration effect of the opposed flowing steam, said shroud having a partition extending thereinto near its highest point and forming a collection chamber open to the interior of the shroud and to said outlet.

3. In a feed-water heater, the combination with a boiler having a saturated-steam pipe ltherein, of an inlet for water at the top of said boiler, a shroud within the boiler for receiving in.` coming water from said inlet and having its inner end open to receive steam from the boiler and solution by the deaerating effect of the counterowing steam, said shroud shaped to form a protecting cover for a part of said saturated-steam pipe to prevent contact of incoming water with the pipe, said shroud provided with openings therein near its upper-most portion for the inlet of steam.

BARTLEY R. MCBATH. 

